Eugen Polanski talks about his reunion with Mainz 05

Hello Eugen, you spent a long time in Mainz. The game on Saturday will surely be a special one for you?

After three and a half years in Mainz, I'd be lying if I said the game on the weekend wasn't going to be special. My former teammates are put to one side though, in the context of this game. I will be friendly but during the game the past is irrelevant. Both the Mainz team and I will block out everything else. It's all about the three points.

Are you still in touch with the lads in Mainz?

Yeah, definitely. Especially with Elkin Soto and Bo Svensson. We've been e-mailing this week but I'll give the lads a ring to see what their plans are for the game (laughs).

Will you be able to give Marco Kurz and your teammates any tips ahead of the match? At the end of the day, you know Mainz pretty well.

I certainly won't need to give the management any tips. Marco Kurz and his assistants will be studying the opponents meticulously and are always very well prepared. I'll talk to the team about one or two of the Mainz players though. I know the strengths and weaknesses of a few of them, but they know mine too. It could be a very interesting encounter.

What kind of game are you expecting against Mainz?

Mainz work really well as a team. They have a really good understanding; it's almost like they automatically know where to be on the pitch and everyone knows what everyone else is doing. One cog turns the other. But we can keep them busy, hurt them and cause them problems that they cannot solve.

It's the first game after the three points in Fürth. How important was this achievement?

Obviously it was very important in terms of our position in the table, but also for our mindset. There's a good vibe amongst the squad ahead of this game. You get a great feeling after a win. Everyone wants to earn that feeling against Mainz. We have to up the ante.

After the Mainz game, you'll be joining up with the Polish national team – there are two World Cup qualifiers coming up. How important is it for you to be at Brazil 2014?

That would of course be a dream. We had the chance to play in our own backyard in 2012 and the World Cup is our next aim. We couldn't implement our ideas at the European Championships, but it was a once in a lifetime experience. We became closer as a team.

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